City Hall is located at 125 West Jefferson Streey, Memphis, MO 63555. Phone: 660-465-7285. Seat of county government.
During the 1800's, the people of Northeastern Missouri found themselves embroiled in the Iowa, or "Honey," War, a bloodless border dispute between Missouri and Iowa. The root of the conflict lay in unclear state boundaries defined by Congress in 1820, which were further complicated by the establishment of the Wisconsin and Iowa Territories in 1836 and 1838. These territories adopted land claimed by Missouri, prompting Missouri's legislature to survey and establish the correct boundary in 1837. Despite this effort, Congress later ordered its own survey, which proposed multiple possible boundary lines, creating confusion and leading to Iowa's assertion from an earlier survey by Col. John C. Sullivan, commonly referred to as the Sullivan line, as the actual boundary, which sparked the dispute. [†]
Tensions escalated in 1839 when Missouri's Sheriff Gregory attempted to collect taxes in the disputed territory, which led to his arrest by Iowa authorities. This incident fueled further hostility, and Missouri's Governor Lilburn W. Boggs mobilized the militia to assert Missouri's claims while Iowa's Governor Robert Lucas prepared for defense. A series of public meetings and resolutions in Missouri's Clark, Lewis, and Marion Counties urged military action, although some leaders secretly hoped for a peaceful resolution. Despite the threat of war, peaceful negotiations, backed by public sentiment, led to the suspension of military action in December 1839. Iowa's legislature issued resolutions urging a cessation of hostilities, which were accepted by Missouri, marking the end of the conflict.
In early 1840, Congress ruled in favor of Iowa, officially declaring the "Indian boundary line" (another name for the Sullivan line) as the true northern border of Missouri, which resolved the dispute. The conflict, which had started as a boundary dispute, ended with an official decision, and while Missouri lost the territory, it did not cost the state lives or cause lasting conflict. Despite its absurdities, the Honey War remains a poignant tale of American history, where cooperation triumphed over conflict. In 1841, Scotland County was formed along the border of Northeastern Missouri, and it carries this history of the state's determination and resilience.
† Voices and Notes: Democracy in America, MEMPHIS (SCOTLAND COUNTY), MO NORTHEAST MISSOURI REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION SEPTEMBER 14, 2025 - OCTOBER 26, 2025, mohumanities.org, accessed June,2025.